Stuffed Bell Peppers

So the other day I decided that I needed to make some time to cook.  I asked Raymond if I could cook dinner for him sometime that week.  His response "Can we have something normal?", my answer, "Sure!", what I meant, "Hmm, sure, but I'm still going to make something semi-creative that I'm going to pass off as normal".  The result, Stuffed Bell Peppers.  I'm guessing by the fact that Raymond had to stop himself from getting more that evening so that he could take some with him for lunch the next day means he was happy with my choice.  :-)

This recipe is written to make a lot of stuffed peppers and use all of the filling.  I made the assumption that Raymond and I would get tired of eating the stuffed peppers, so I split the recipe in half and used the leftover filling to make some tasty burritos throughout the rest of the week.

Ingredients

8 bell peppers, sliced in half and cored (I used green because that's what looked the best at the grocery store, but feel free to use your favorite)

2 c. Spanish rice, cooked

Meat Mixture:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 taco seasoning packet

1 medium onion, minced
1 jalapeno, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 15-oz can black beans, rinced

1 1/2 c. frozen corn kernels

1 can diced tomatoes

Filling:

Meat mixture (about 4 cups)

1 1/3 c. shredded cheese of choice

2 c. Spanish rice

2 c. breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

Topping:

4 tbs breadcrumbs

1/2 c. shredded cheese of choice

Directions

Cook the rice according to specific rice directions and set aside.

Brown the beef with the onions, jalapeno, and garlic.  Drain away the fat.

Add the taco seasoning and cook according to directions.

Add the black beans, corn, and tomatoes, mix and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile place the peppers, cut side up (on a foil lined baking sheet) in the oven and Broil for about 5-7 minutes.  Remove the peppers from the oven and set the temperature to 400 degrees-F.

Combine the rice, breadcrumbs, cheese, and meat mixture and mix.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pick up a heaping handful of the filling mixture and compress it slightly.  Stuff the filling mixture it into a pepper half and repeat with the remaining peppers until they are all filled.

Combine the rest of the cheese and breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of the peppers.

Place the stuffed peppers in the oven for about 15 minutes.  Then turn the oven to broil and cook for about 3 minutes more.  This step is just to brown the top of the peppers and create a nice crisp crust to dig into.

Enjoy!!

Last weekend we also picked out our new place together (yey!), and I have come upon the realization that I will be moving soon (less than 2 months!!!).  I don't want to be moving my pantry with all my other things, so this is a great recipe to use up some of those canned goods from your pantry.  My goal is to use up all those things I've bought thinking "Oh it's on sale and I can use this to make such and such..." and then I never do.  So hopefully stay tuned for some more pantry cleaning out goodness!!  :-)

Amanda's Tips:
When cooking onions and garlic together, always start the garlic when the onions are almost done cooking.  Garlic burns easily and only needs to cook for 2 minutes or so.